Year: 2024
Total Time: 43:08
Label: Metal Blade

The bond of the Greek audience with LEPROUS can be characterized as inexplicable and only a few foreign bands enjoy something similar. This is usually reflected in their live performances in Greece. So, when they decide to release new music, we definitely have to check it out.

Especially when we talk about LEPROUS and their experimental mood…they have gone through various phases in their career so every release is a mystery for all of us! “Melodies Of Atonement” could not be an exception to this rule. A very special album, even darker and more atmospheric than “Aphellion”, which winks at the past (mainly from the “Congregation” era) but moves their sound a step further. It can undoubtedly be characterized as a reflection of Einar Solberg’s soul. As he has commented, when he started writing the songs for this particular album, decided to strip them of any symphonic parts and let the music speak. He wanted to emphasize quality over quantity and largely succeeded in this. It is also evident in almost all the songs that Einar gives a lot of space to his excellent musicians as well as to his own keyboard playing, which have a prominent role. A nice example of what I am trying to pinpoint is the opener “Silently Walking Alone” which could easily be included on “Congregation” and perhaps for that reason is one of my favorites as it fully captures their signature sound with the slow and atmospheric start that leads in the outbreak. Generally, this pattern is followed with fluctuations in intensity and alternating emotions. Solberg has described it as a heavy album, but not in a metal way. More in terms of atmosphere and heavy and intense playing of instruments. It has lost a lot of the progressive elements of the previous albums without abandoning them completely, while the electronic touches give a modern dimension.

Whether we like it or not, LEPROUS have changed direction completely, just like many other bands during their career. Despite the fact that I am a fan of their first albums, I can’t help but recognize Solberg’s musical (and performing) genius. However, I would have liked more tension and a differentiation from the “slow verse, hard chorus” manner that has become the norm. It is evident that the compositional course of LEPROUS depends completely on Solberg’s psychological and emotional state of mind. A completely respectable fact since, after all, music, to a large extent, is redemptive and therapeutic. In this light, the creator opens a window into his soul and allow us to look inside and maybe find a piece of our own selves.

Rating: 7,5/10
Editor: Kostas Boudoukos
Related Link:  LEPROUS – Official Website